Fighting Crime With Design

"At first glance, you may not notice the lack of posters on the windows of the minimart at 29th and J streets, or wonder about the lack of benches and phone booths around its gas station. You may not even notice that the gas pumps here are strategically placed.

But everything has a purpose – for public safety.

The Arco AM/PM was remodeled last summer with design features to enhance visibility – and safety – as part of a crime-prevention strategy recommended by the Sacramento Police Department.

The result? A drop in the number of calls for service from the area, Police Lt. Eric Poerio said on a recent visit to the station.

The crime-prevention efforts at the gas station, located at the edge of Sacramento's midtown, are part of a nationwide trend among law enforcement to promote a strategy called Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design, or CPTED (pronounced "sep-ted") for short."